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There are so many different types of teeth whitening out on the market now-a-days, ever wonder if they all work? Which ones are the best for you? Do they last long? Are they good for your teeth and gums? Do they damage your tooth structure? Often, people whiten their teeth with different products without really knowing what it is, the effectiveness, and do they have that long-term effect that everyone wants. If you’re anything like me, you strive for whiter teeth every day. I have been obsessed with whitening my teeth ever since I got my braces off 6 years ago. I have tried every method under the sun and have found positives and negatives about each one.

The first method I started out with were the whitening strips. I found these to be most convenient and affordable at a young age. I purchased the 60 pack of Crest White Strips at Costco for around 100 dollars. I started using them as soon as I got home! I found they were a little odd at first. Teeth whitening strips are clear, flimsy plastic that you place on your teeth and hope that they don’t slide or fall off so you won’t have to taste the yucky bleach. They are coated on one side with a film of hydrogen peroxide bleaching agent. You open a bottom strip, and a top strip and place them on your teeth. I found them to be a bit awkward because I felt like I had to keep my mouth open, and smiling the whole time so I wouldn’t swallow the bleach, or get it on anything but my teeth. The strips definitely made a difference, it just took a while. If you’re an impatient person like I am, this is not the route to go.

Another option I tried was ordering trays online that you boil and then shape them to your teeth. Let me tell you one thing before I continue, DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS. They do not work, and are the most frustrating things on the planet. Trying to boil something, and put it into your mouth right after, HURTS! They didn’t mold correctly, and they were uncomfortable. I had a hard time having them in my mouth for an hour each day. I just couldn’t do it anymore. After about 2 weeks of no difference in my teeth what-so-ever. Definitely recommend steering clear of an online order for bleach trays.

I am an aspiring Dental Hygienist. I have a passion for teeth, and have had that passion ever since I would beg my friends to allow me pull their teeth out when I was 5 years old. Teeth are a big deal in my life. I started working in a dental office about 7 months ago while I go to school for Dental Hygiene. While working there, I have been introduced to a whole new world of whitening. I have learned more about whitening then I have ever hoped. The first week of working, I purchased the custom trays. Let me just say this before I continue, this has been the best decision I have ever made (next to some other life altering choices). The trays are affordable and range depending on the office, mine were obviously at a discounted price being an employee of the practice. These trays are custom, like I said. Getting set up does take the most time by far, but the results are more than worth the time invested. First you come in for impressions, usually later that day we have the trays ready for you. The material we use comes in a prefilled syringe like tube which makes it easier to apply in the bleach trays. The syringes contain 16% hydrogen peroxide which is more than enough to remove those stubborn stains, or even effects of tetracycline use (see previous blog). I have a bonded tooth that can sometimes get a little discolored, and what I love most about this bleach is that it makes a huge difference even on my bonded tooth. The best thing about custom trays is that they are comfortable, and you only have to use a little bit of gel, so when you put the trays in, they aren’t over flowing with bleach making it awkward to close your mouth. I wore my trays consistently for one hour every night for 7 days and saw a huge difference. The trays are a good choice if you’re the type of person that wants results fast and loves convenience at a reasonable cost. The only downside to this method of whitening is that when you put too much bleach in your trays and it makes contact with your gums, it may cause a little bit of discomfort or a little bit of pain. But other than that, this is my go to whitening!

My office, as well as many other dentist offices offer in office whitening. It is a one day office visit, pain-free, short chair time procedure, with lasting results. This is by far the most popular procedure. It is popular because of the long-lasting effects. You have one visit, and your teeth are up to 7 shades lighter. A lot of people are very hesitant of in office whitening due to the fact that they are afraid their teeth may become sensitive. With the in office procedure, 4 separate tubes of whitening are applied to your teeth over an hour period in 15 minutes intervals there is little to no sensitivity.

All of this talk about whitening leads me to my most exciting discovery. In talking about my pursuit for excellence in whitening around the office, I discovered that my office participates in an annual Zoom Whitening campaign called Smiles for Life. Smiles for Life is a whitening campaign partnered with the Crown Council that whitens teeth on a donation basis. During March – June of every year my office joined with Philips Oral Health makers of ZOOM whiten teeth and all the proceeds go directly to charity, 50% of proceeds benefit national children’s charities, 50% benefit a charity of our choice – Hope Arising, visit http://www.smilesforlife.org for more details. Hope Arising is a sustainable organization that helps people of Ethiopia, we work very closely with Hope Arising , even traveling to Africa twice a year to aid in their stabilization efforts. While in Ethiopia we provide dental services to those in need as well as aid in other efforts to stabilize agriculture and water delivery systems to local villages, visit http://www.hopearising.org for more details or information on how you can help. In the 2012 Smiles for Life campaign we raised over $10,000 and donated approximately $5,000 to Hope Arising, were hoping for an even more successful 2013.

Different whitening methods apply to different people. You may love the strips, and hate the trays. You may love the in office whitening and hate everything else. These are just some of Cassie’s (me) tips to whiter teeth! And for a good cause, too  If you need any more information on whitening, please feel free to email me at appt@shalimarfamilydentistry.com or call me at (480)838-3355. I am very reachable by both.